RUNNIN’ REBELS HOST COLORADO STATE SATURDAY NIGHT
UNLV has won three straight games, holding its opponents to less than 58 points in each
The UNLV men’s basketball team will be looking for its fourth straight win on Saturday, Feb. 22 as it hosts Colorado State at 7 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Runnin’ Rebels have won each of their last three games, holding each opponent to less than 58 points.
UNLV (14-12, 8-7) is coming off a 68-57 road win at Wyoming on Feb. 8, which snapped a five-game losing streak, a 77-52 home win over Air Force on Feb. 11 and a 52-51 road win at Fresno State last Saturday. The Rams (17-9, 11-4) come to Las Vegas having won two straight, both at home against Wyoming (88-53) and UNR (79-71).
UNLV has two players averaging double figures in scoring: Dedan Thomas Jr. with 15.6 points per game (8th in MW) and Jaden Henley with 11.5 ppg. Jailen Bedford, Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry. Julian Rishwain and Jalen Hill are all averaging between 9.9 ppg and 7.4 ppg. Cherry leads in rebounding with 5.2 rpg and blocks with 1.5 bpg (2nd in MW), while Thomas Jr. is the team’s assist leader with 4.7 apg (3rd in MW) and Henley leads in steals with 1.5 spg.
UNLV is in its fourth season under head coach Kevin Kruger. He has a career record of 72-52 (.581).
PROMOTIONS: All fans are encouraged to wear gray to the game, and the first 2,000 fans will be able to pick up a free Runnin’ Rebel T-shirt that celebrates Boyd Gaming’s 50th Anniversary. Doors to the game will open at 6 p.m. and free parking is available. During the game, the first 500 fans will be able to pick up a bingo card to play Runnin’ Rebel bingo for a chance to win some of $3,000 in total prizes. There is no cost to play Runnin’ Rebel bingo. Prizes include Gucci Row seats for the UNR game, Kevin Hart tickets, and much more.
TICKETS: Tickets to UNLV men’s basketball home games may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS (3267) or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office.
ABOUT THE ROSTER: This season’s UNLV squad features six returners from last year’s team along with 10 newcomers. The newcomers are made up of four Division I transfers, a junior college transfer and five freshmen. UNLV has eight upperclassmen, including two sixth-year players. A total of six players on the roster are playing in their hometown of Las Vegas. The Runnin’ Rebels returned two starters from last year’s team in sophomore guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who was the Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year last season and was named to this season’s preseason all-conference team, and senior forward Rob Whaley Jr. (currently injured) Forward Jalen Hill is also back for a sixth year of college after suffering a season-ending knee injury in January of 2024 (in the MW opener at San Diego State). Thomas Jr. led UNLV in scoring and assists last year with 13.6 and 5.1 per game, respectively, Whaley Jr. had averages of 7.6 ppg and 3.6 rpg, while Hill averaged 10.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg in seven contests.
LAST TIME OUT: In Saturday’s win at Fresno State, Jailen Bedford and Jaden Henley each scored 13 points to lead the Runnin’ Rebels. Henley added a career-high nine rebounds, while Dedan Thomas Jr. scored seven points with a game-high-tying seven assists with just one turnover. Bear Cherry blocked a game-high four shots, but the biggest rejection of the game belonged to Pape N’Diaye, who finished the contest with two. UNLV led by 11 at 50-39 with just over eight minutes to play, but a 12-0 run by Fresno State capped by Zaon Collins’ driving layup gave the Bulldogs a one-point lead at 51-50 with 1:02 remaining. Henley rebounded a Thomas Jr. miss and made the put-back to give UNLV the lead again. He was fouled on the play but missed the free throw. With 13 seconds to go N’Diaye blocked Collins’ potential go-ahead attempt and on the subsequent play Thomas Jr. was fouled with 09.1 second left. He missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Jalen Weaver’s 3-point attempt from the corner at the buzzer was off the mark to end the game. UNLV scored just two points in the final eight minutes of the game but hung on for the victory.
ABOUT COLORADO STATE: The Rams have won two straight games and three of their last four. They are coming off home wins over Wyoming (88-53) last Saturday and UNR (79-71) on Tuesday. Colorado State is ranked 68th in KenPom. The Rams are 12-2 at home this season, but 4-4 in true road games. CSU has two players averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Nique Clifford’s 18.0 ppg (3rd in MW). Clifford also leads the team in rebounding at 10.0 rpg (2nd in MW), while he is shooting .497 from the field and leads the team in assists at 4.1 apg. The Rams are 20th in the country in assists per game with 17.0 apg. Clifford is 10th in the nation in double doubles with 12 and 11th in rebounds per game. CSU was predicted to finish sixth in the Mountain West this season in the preseason coaches’ poll, earning one of 26 first-place votes. Clifford was named to the preseason All-MW team. The Rams had an overall record of 25-11 last season, finishing tied for sixth in the MW with a league mark of 10-8. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second round where they lost to Texas to end their season. CSU has just five upperclassmen on its 15-man roster. Head coach Niko Medved is in his seventh year at CSU with a record of 134-84 (.615) and is in his 11th year overall as a collegiate head coach with a career mark of 213-171 (.555).
LAST TIME VS. COLORADO STATE: In the season’s first meeting between the two teams on Jan. 11 in Fort Collins, CSU won 84-62. Jaden Henley and Dedan Thomas Jr. each scored 19 points for the Runnin’ Rebels. The Rams had five players score in double figures, led by Nique Clifford and Rashaan Mbemba who each scored 22 points. Colorado State shot 65.4% from the field in the first half (17 of 26), including 66.7% on 3-pointers (8 of 12) to take an 11-point lead at the half (46-35). UNLV trimmed its deficit to just six points at 58-52 with 10 minutes to go, but CSU pushed its lead to 19 points with 5:38 left.
BROADCAST INFO: Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network with Chris Lewis and Darren Collison calling the action. The radio call will be handled by Matt Neverett, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry, and Steve Cofield, which may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas and worldwide on SiriusXM 381. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.
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Runnin' Rebels Host Colorado State Saturday Night
DescriptionRunnin' Rebels Host Colorado State Saturday Night